Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i The Railway Magazine

MANY of you will have heard about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point decarbonisation plan. You’d expect that plans to electrify more of the rail network would be a key part of such an announcement, particularly with the end of new petrol and diesel car sales only 10 years away. In the report, there was no new or forthright commitment to increasing network electrification from 38% to a more realistic 65-70%, other than “we will further electrify regional and other rail routes”. Hardly a dynamic statement, when you consider just a few years ago plans to electrify the Midland Main Line through the East Midlands was abandoned by Government in favour of bi-mode trains. What is needed is a solid commitment. The report also regurgitated old news of expanding rail routes…

A REPORT from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into the death of two track workers at Margam, South Wales, on July 3, 2019, has resulted in 11 recommendations – nine of them addressed to Network Rail. In the Margam incident, two track workers were struck and fatally injured by a passenger train at Margam East Junction on the South Wales main line. A third track worker came very close to being struck. All three were part of a group of six staff carrying out maintenance on a set of points, with the men struck by an GWR IET train at 50mph. RAIB says the accident occurred because the three track workers were working on a line that was open to traffic, with no formally appointed lookouts to warn of…

WORK on the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network could begin as soon as 2024 if the region can secure funding from central Government. Transport for the North (TfN) unveiled its preferred options for transforming the rail network, linking the major cities of northern England, on November 20. Central to the project is the construction of new high-speed/ high capacity lines between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester to Leeds via central Bradford. These could be linked by a new east-west underground station at Manchester Piccadilly, although current plans for HS2 Phase 2b do not make provision for this. Journey times between Sheffield and Leeds would also be slashed by upgrading the line north from Sheffield to a junction with the eastern arm of HS2 Phase 2b, north of…

RETAILERS that have already had a bleak time in 2020 with a lack of footfall or forced closure are having to face the additional problem of a lack of stock to sell. Delays in handling imported containers at the Port of Felixstowe – which stem from increased orders and Brexit stockpiling – are at the forefront, but the cost of transporting a container from Asia has quadrupled, and some are refusing to import. At one point, there had been 11,000 containers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on the docks waiting to be distributed, which rail freight operator Freightliner moved to London at short notice. Space on intermodal trains has been at a premium as rail services have been impacted by the delays. Hutchison UK, which runs Felixstowe, said the problems…

Major John Poyntz (1938-2020) A RETIRED Army major who enjoyed a second career as a member of Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate died on November 2. John Poyntz (82) was in the Army for 35 years, serving with the Royal Engineers and later the Royal Corps of Transport. He had spells overseas in Borneo, Cyprus and later West Germany, where he was responsible for movements of British Army trains. After military service, he joined the Railway Inspectorate, a move he viewed as an honour and privilege to follow in the footsteps of a number of military predecessors. In fact he became the last Royal Engineer to take such a route into the inspectorate, spending 25 years in the role. He rose to Principal Inspector, his name often coming to the fore…

FEWER than expected passenger numbers led to most train operating companies cutting some services from November 16. The moves are as a result of an increase in confirmed Covid cases among rail staff, or the need for self-isolation or shielding. Avanti West Coast has reduced its Manchester and Birmingham services to two per hour, cancelling the xx.03 Euston-New Street (and xx.50 return) as well as the xx.00 Euston to Manchester and xx.35 return. Additional stops will be added to the remaining services to mitigate any loss of stops from the cancelled services. In a statement, Avanti expected this revised pattern to remain “well into the New Year”. LNER has axed some services from timetables, too. In Scotland, where large parts moved to Tier 4 restrictions from November 20 until December…

TRAVELLERS passing through London Victoria may have noticed a small plaque beside platform 8. It commemorates the station’s role in bringing back to the UK the ‘unknown soldier’ from the First World War. Similar small memorials exist at other places in the journey from France – at the former Dover Marine (Western Docks) station in Kent and outside the station at Saint-Polsur-Ternoise, in northern France. A century ago, on November 10, 1920, a train arriving from Dover at platform 8 at London Victoria was greeted by a military honour guard. The train was carrying the coffin holding the body of the ‘Unknown Warrior’, which had been brought from the battlefields of France for burial in Westminster Abbey exactly two years after the First World War had ended. It was fitting…

Skegness Miniature Railways information appeal I AM researching the history of the various miniature railways that have operated in the well-known East Coast seaside resort of Skegness. The railways concerned are: 15in-gauge line on the North Beach in the 1920s; 10¼in-gauge temporary lines operated by Ernest Dove from 1945/46; 7¼in-gauge line in the Derbyshire Miners’ Holiday Centre in the 1950s; a line of unknown gauge north of the Pier in 1947; 10¼in-gauge line by the Boating Lake, which operated from 1951 until 1992; 12¼in-gauge electric tramway, which replaced the 10¼in-gauge line, and operated 1994/95. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone who has further information or photographs/postcards of any of these railways. All costs refunded. Peter Scott 93 Josephine Court, Southcote Road, Reading, RG30 2DQ scott.pe@btinternet.com Address missed…

Country lines revival BARONESS Kennedy of Cradley asked Her Majesty’s Government in the House of Lords what assessment has been made of the potential social benefits of reopening countryside railways. Transport Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said: “As part of the levelling-up agenda, the Government announced in January that it has pledged £500million for the Restoring Your Railway fund to deliver its manifesto commitment and start reopening lines and stations, reconnecting smaller communities, regenerating local economies, and improving access to jobs, homes and education. “We recognise that improved connectivity has social benefits which are hard to quantify, and are therefore not explicitly reported in terms of social value.” Ticket price review LIFE peer Lord Bradshaw asked what plans the Government has to modify railway fares in the light of changing…

THE on-going wrangling between the West Somerset Railway plc and the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust (S&DRT) has taken another twist after it was confirmed the organisations have opened discussions regarding a new 10-year lease for the trust to occupy the Washford site. The move comes after WSR plc re-evaluated its requirements for Washford, and decided the yard would not now be needed in its entirety in the foreseeable future. Relations between the plc and S&DRT soured earlier this year after the trust was given legal notice that its agreement for the use of the site at Washford would be terminated on February 10 next year. War of words The trust had occupied the station site since 1975, turning the station building into a museum and erecting a three-road shed…

THE Engine 61662 Appeal Group has announced it is abandoning its plan to try and re-create LNER ‘B17’ 4-6-0 No. 61662 Manchester United at the Mizens Railway. The project was one of two new-build schemes attempting to add one of Sir Nigel Gresley’s 4-6-0s to the ranks of preserved steam locomotives, the other being the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust, which is actively constructing No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham in Sheffield (see story below). The Engine 61662 Appeal Group was formed after ex-LNER tender No. 4166 was obtained from a Doncaster scrap yard in 2011, with the group hoping to attract support from the many thousand Manchester United fans around the country. Mock-up Despite having aspirations to construct a working ‘B17’, the Engine 61662 Appeal has devoted much of its energies…

THE Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) has been awarded an additional £234,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (HLHF) towards its Steaming Ahead project at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. The project was the recipient of a £741,500 NHLF award last year, which together with the top-up grant has given the SRPS close to £1million in grant funding. Steaming Ahead will see the creation of a new engineering facility, which will be used to repair the SRPS steam locomotive collection and carry out overhauls and restoration work, as well as provide space to train volunteers and apprentices. Currently, major rebuild work is carried out in an old Romney Hut at Bo’ness, which is cramped and not fit for the railway’s purposes. Viewing gallery The project will also improve and…

THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s goal of having flagship 0-4-4T No. W24 Calbourne back in traffic to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the line in 2021 remains on target after the loco’s cab and tanks were refitted on November 19. Here, we see the sole-surviving Adams ‘O2’ being shunted back into the railway’s workshop at Havenstreet, offering a glimpse of how the loco will look when it re-emerges in post-war Southern Railway Malachite green with ‘Sunshine’ lettering.…

BRISTOL’S Avon Valley Railway (AVR) has set its sights on 2022 as the target date to get Manning, Wardle 0-6-0ST Littleton No. 5 (2018/1922) back in traffic, in time to celebrate the locomotive’s 100th anniversary. The former Littleton Colliery loco was withdrawn from AVR service in 1994, and since then has been waiting its turn in the overhaul queue, largely in the open air at Bitton. This became more of a priority last year when the loco was donated to the Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust (AVRHT) in order to secure its future. Since then the trust has been planning an overhaul strategy, which officially got underway at the end of October. Preparatory work on the removal of the blast pipe and coupling rods preceded the removal of the loco’s…

UK LOCKDOWNS brought narrow gauge operations throughout Britain to a standstill for the second time in 2020. The Welsh Government introduced a ‘firebreak’ lockdown on October 19 followed by the UK Government’s November 5 to December 2 lockdown in England. Traditionally, narrow-gauge railways take a November break between Halloween and the start of Christmas operations. This year, having lost the early to middle season to Covid-19, and after enjoying good postlockdown traffic figures, many lines extended their seasons. ‘Santa’ The remaining question as this issue of The RM went to press concerned the operation of ‘Santa’ trains. A number of Welsh lines had already decided to drop Christmas operations this year, with those intending to run being clear of the Welsh ‘firebreak’. However, viability could still depend on travel restrictions…

VALE of Rheidol Railway’s (VoR) 2-6-2T No. 1213 (nee No. 9) is now withdrawn and awaiting 10-year overhaul. Work is likely to start in 2021. When it returns VoR will have four available locos: its trio of 2-6-2Ts plus Hanomag 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt NG/G13(10551/1927) No. 60. This will be only the second time VoR has four ‘main line’ locos available, the first being between 1924-1932 when the original Davies & Metcalf 2-6-2T No. 1212 (originally No. 1) was retained as a spare engine. VoR is not currently operating because of Covid-19.…

WHENEVER there is a serious incident on public transport resulting in injuries or fatalities, the phrase ‘safety is our No. 1 priority’ is always trotted out by a spokesperson. The RAIB report on the two track workers killed at Margam makes disturbing reading, particularly in relation to the prevailing safety culture and a lack of willingness to challenge working practices. The fact there have been 45 similar incidents with track workers since 2005 is a big concern, and lands a very ‘hot potato’ in Network Rail’s lap. Now take a look at these pictures of Tyseley station, in the Birmingham suburbs, sent in by a concerned reader. The poor state of both platform canopies displays an appalling air of dereliction, but what kind of message is the railway sending to…

THE first train of an order for five two-car Viviarail EMUs to replace the oldest rolling stock in operation on the national network has arrived on the Isle of Wight, in a move representing a new era for the 8½-mile Island Line. No. 484001 rolled off the ferry at Yarmouth on November 19 for a photocall with SWR managing director Mark Hopwood and local MP Bob Seely. The units were unloaded at Sandown, where there is access for plant and engineers equipment. The trains have been fully refurbished and modernised, and designated Class 484, with these former District Line trains continuing the island’s use of former Underground stock. They will replace the eight Class 483 Underground trains that date from 1938, and which arrived on the island in 1989. The…

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘10-point’ decarbonisation plan, which was announced on November 18, appears to offer little hope for widespread electrification for the railway network. Mr Johnson spoke of investing in rail and bus services, “expanding rail routes around our big regional cities, including Manchester and Birmingham”, and restoring lines removed in the Beeching era to give people the option not to drive. There were no specifics other than to say “we will further electrify regional and other rail routes”, and the first reopened rail line would be in 2023/24. Only the short-listed winners for up to £50,000 feasibility funding in the first round of rail reopening bids have been announced, so the reopenings could be a tall order. The day after this issue of The RM went to press…

1. Watling Street Hinckley, Leicestershire - 25 strikes 2. Bromford Road Dudley, West Midlands - 24 strikes 3. St John’s Street Lichfield, Staffordshire - 23 strikes 4. Stuntney Road Ely, Cambridgeshire - 19 strikes 5. Abbey Farm Thetford, Norfolk - 16 strikes 6. Thurlow Park Road Tulse Hill, London - 14 strikes 7. Carlisle Road Cleland, North Lanarkshire - 13 strikes 8. Harlaxton Road Grantham, Lincolnshire - 13 strikes 9. Stonea Road Stonea, Cambridgeshire - 13 strikes 10. Coddenham Road Needham Market, Suffolk - 11 strikes…

A TRANSPORT Select Committee (TSC) hearing led to stern words from chairman Huw Merriman over a delay in him being allowed to see emergency recovery measures agreements (ERMAs). The meeting took place on November 18 and saw evidence from both DfT and TOC staff. Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “The Treasury has allowed us to enter into these ERMA contracts that last up to 18 months, giving us some time to plan for the future.” The TSC said it was keen to understand what TOCs were required to do for their management fee of up to 1.5% of the cost of running the businesses. The committee also noted that contracts had been drawn up hastily by the Government and were not particularly well defined. Mr Merriman added he wanted detail…

RARELY do minor accidents on metro systems make global news but Rotterdam’s RET metro managed that on November 2 when an empty train failed to stop at the Metro Line C and D terminus at De Akkers in south Rotterdam just after midnight. The train went through buffer stops and the leading vehicle came to rest on a statue of a whale’s tail 10 metres above the ground. The driver, who was the only person onboard, was able to walk back down the train to escape. The statue of two whales’ tails, which has been next to the station since 2002, rises from a canal below a viaduct just beyond the station, and is made from reinforced polyester. The artist behind the sculpture Maarten Struijs told the media he was…

Ivanhoe Line campaigner dies GEOFF BUSHELL, who has been called the inspiration and driving force behind the campaign to reopen the Ivanhoe Line, between Leicester and Burton-on-Trent, to passenger services, has died after contracting Covid-19. The campaign team he supported has vowed to continue what he started in 2018 and get the line reopened. LO Class 317s return with Greater Anglia EIGHT Class 317/7 EMUs that were previously used by London Overground and kept in warm store at Wembley Yard are to return to service with Greater Anglia. The move follows delays in introducing Bombardier Class 720 EMUs to traffic, along with a need to provide trains that are more compliant for passengers with reduced mobility. Croydon tram inquest further delayed THE inquest into the deaths of seven passengers aboard…

Highland Chieftain nameplate bought for record amount THE sale of seven nameplates once carried by LNER HSTs has raised £41,000 for the charity CALM. The plate from power car No. 43308 Highland Chieftain sold for £13,900 plus buyer’s premium. The figure is thought to be a record for a modern traction plate. The sale on November 14 was handled by GW Railwayana Auctions, which also sold the following nameplates: Craigentinny, £6.500; Bounds Green, £4,100; Lincolnshire Echo, £1,700; Spirit of Sunderland, £4,100; MTU Fascination of Power, £4,600; and National Railway Museum 1975-2015, £6,100. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) works to prevent suicide across the UK. Hull and Grand Central suspend services THE two East Coast open access operators – Hull Trains and Grand Central – suspended services following the announcement…

NETWORK Rail has announced engineering projects will disrupt West Coast Main Line operations over four Bank Holiday weekends in spring/ summer 2021. Two lines into Euston station will be taken out of service for two six-week periods – April 2-May 17 and July 17-August 31 – to enable the new HS2 terminus to be built. Weekend work will also take place between April and the end of August. Most train services will continue running, but there will be some timetable and platform alterations. Network Rail has detailed other planned work on the WCML for major track renewals between Rugby and Birmingham, Crewe to Warrington, Preston to Lancaster and Carstairs to Carlisle. There will be more work on the Bletchley flyover work, as part of the East-West Rail project. This is…

■ RM - What challenges and opportunities does the railway’s location bring? ■ IS - We have an amazing market on our doorstep, literally! Many vantage points along the line have the backdrop of the centre of Leeds, with its skyscrapers, and so we have a great urban audience. That said, it can be difficult to communicate with potential visitors so close to home – when was the last time you visited the attraction two miles from your door? We also struggle against mindless vandalism, which always threatens to put our plans back a step or two, but we strive on. ■ RM - The railway’s preserved form was 60 years old this year. How did it mark the occasion? ■ IS - Unfortunately, most of our plans went out…

100 YEARS AGO DECEMBER 1920 Pullman cars on display On Monday, November 8, the first two Pullman cars built for service on the Great Eastern Railway were placed on public exhibition at Liverpool Street Station, and some hundreds of people took the opportunity of inspecting these palatial vehicles. Ten of the 20 cars are being constructed at the works of Clayton Wagons Limited, at Lincoln. The two cars so far delivered – the Arcadia and the Corsair – commenced duty on Armistice Day on the following trains: the former leaves Cambridge for Liverpool Street at 7.49 a.m., returning on the 6.30 p.m. down train; the other car makes a number of trips between Southend, Liverpool Street and Clacton. New locos for Metropolitan Railway To meet the growing needs of…

Ribblehead shocker I AM shocked at the £2.1million for repairs to brickwork and removal of vegetation and repairs to damage caused by plants and weeds, which surely should have been kept under control annually? Network Rail certainly seems to have a blind side when it comes to vegetation control. They could save themselves a goodly sum by annual weeding rather than letting their estate here, as elsewhere, be taken over by buddleia, fireweed, ragweed and other obnoxious and invasive plants. Roy Lemberger By email PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT (RM NOV) PAGE 6: The picture last month of the wedding couple being photographed at Sleights, Whitby, was not a CCTV image but one taken by Northern conductor Jonathan Irwin. He says the train from Whitby was forced to brake heavily and…

Panorama is brought to you in association with Porterbrook – delivering a sustainable and reliable railway www.porterbrook.co.uk…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has joined the growing list of preserved railways to benefit from the Government’s £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF). The fund aims to help organisations cover the cost of overheads such as wage bills, essential maintenance and utilities until next March. More than £14million has been awarded to heritage lines and railway groups by the Culture Recovery Fund, which is administered by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England. Significant Beneficiaries have included the Severn Valley Railway (£906,000), West Somerset Railway (£865,000) and the North Norfolk Railway (£360,000), while smaller, but no less significant sums have been awarded to the Northampton & Lamport Railway (£46,000) and Lincolnshire Wolds Railway (£25,000). However, the NYMR grant is the largest awarded to a heritage…

THE Llangollen Railway has said its ability to run trains over the full length of the line next year is dependent on being able to find £15,000 to repair the Dee Bridge at Pentrefelyn, about a mile west of Llangollen station. The bridge, which is subject to a 10mph speed restriction, requires the renewal of the decking timbers. This work, including purchasing the timbers, is expected to cost £15,000, a sum the troubled railway currently does not have. It has launched an appeal to raise the money, and ensure steam runs between Llangollen and the new Corwen station in 2021. Anyone wishing to contribute to this appeal should contact Paul Bailey, the Llangollen Railway Trust Fundraiser, on 01490 450271 or email paulbaileywincham@yahoo.co.uk for ways to donate.…

‘Furness 20’ boiler back in at Ribble FURNESS Railway 0-4-0 No. 20 has taken a step closer to a return to steam after being reunited with its overhauled boiler at the Ribble Steam Railway (RSR). The operation was performed by the Furness Railway Trust in the RSR’s Preston workshops on November 18. ‘Terrier’ Knowle nearing completion STROUDLEY ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 2678 (Knowle) will soon be back in action at the Kent & East Sussex Railway as its overhaul nears completion at Tenterden. The Terrier Trust loco was successfully steamed on November 17 and has been repainted in Southern Railway black with ‘Sunshine’ lettering on the tank sides. Its number is also in place on the re-instated Isle of Wight extended bunker. The loco last ran in…

IAN HEWITT, the man behind the specialist painting firm Heritage Painting, has announced he is winding the business down after 10 successful years owing to on-going ill health. During the last decade Ian and his team have been behind some of the most high-profile locomotive repaints, including those of ‘A3’Flying Scotsman, ‘A4s’ Mallard and Dwight D. Eisenhower, together with ‘Black Five’ No. 45407, LMS ‘Crab’ No. 13065, the Talyllyn Railway’s Nos. 1 Talyllyn and 2 Dolgoch, Great Eastern ‘Y14’ 0-6-0 No. 564, No. 7802 Bradley Manor, SECR 0-6-0 No. 65 and LMS Pacific No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, to name just a few. The firm has also worked on a wide variety of industrial locos, traction engines, trams, road vehicles and modern traction, including LNER HST set No. 254029. ‘Difficult’…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. LEIGHTON Buzzard Railway (LBR) anticipates Sarah Westmacott’s Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T Gertrude (AB1578/1918 being available for service in 2021. It arrived at the railway in February 2019. The boiler was lifted and sent to Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough prior to the March national lockdown, and is now back at Page’s Park, where work has been undertaken on the loco’s running gear. Five locos Gertrude entering service will give LBR five available main line steam locos in 2021, the others being Gertrude’s sister Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T Doll (LBR) and privately owned Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778, Avonside 0-4-0T Sezela No. 4, and O&K 0-6-0WT Pedemoura. LBR’s O&K 0-6-0WT…

WELSH Highland Railway Society’s Francis Blake Award has been presented to three people who played a prominent part in the improved co-operation between the two railways. The work of Graham Farr and Mark Seale, the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway chairman and training officer, respectively, and Paul Lewin, Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway general manager, resulted in the landmark visit of WHHR’s Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell to run on the southern section of Ff&WHR in June 2019. The award, a fireman’s shovel, was instituted in 2017 in memory of the late Francis Blake, and is for the group or gang that has done ‘something extra in the last 12 months that deserves recognition. The shovel was originally presented to Mr Blake some years ago and was gifted back to the society by…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. WORK to boost capacity at London Underground’s Bank station passed a major milestone at the end of October with completion of new tunnelling work. Around 0.8-miles (1.3km) of new tunnels have been built since May 2017, including a new Northern Line southbound running line and platform. The southbound tunnel will be converted into a passenger concourse, with six new passenger crosslinks to the platforms on either side. Complicated The tunnelling work was complicated by the need to avoid disrupting any of the 31 listed buildings along the route, while extra room underground was created for spoil because of a lack of space above ground in its central…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. £17m injection for Southampton freight capacity LONGER freight trains will be able to serve Southampton Docks next year following the Government’s decision to invest £17million in upgrading rail infrastructure around the Hampshire city. Engineering work due to take place in January and February will increase the length of loops and sidings, allowing maximum train length to increase from the current 520m to 775m. This will make intermodal operations more efficient, creating capacity for up to seven extra wagons, carrying 14 more containers per train. Southampton is the UK’s second busiest container port after Felixstowe, served by frequent Freightliner, DB Cargo and GB Railfreight intermodal services to various…

Call: 01507 529589 email: gboyd-hope@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. Seaside illuminations tours postponed BLACKPOOL Heritage Tram Tours’ popular evening services which take sightseers on a tour of the famous Blackpool Illuminations have been cut short as a result of the second Covid-19 lockdown. The illuminations were switched off at midnight on November 4 and the display suspended until further notice. The last heritage tram operated that evening, but it is hoped services can resume again in early December. Like us facebook.com/TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine Follow us therailwaymagazine…

THE unique Class 89 AC electric loco No. 89001 (RM Nov, p80) was transferred from Barrow Hill to Soho depot, Birmingham, on October 27. Running as 0Q65, the 10.00 from Barrow Hill was top-and tailed by Class 47813 Jack Frost and Class 37 No. 37510 Orion. The loco will be subject to both offline and 25kV live tests. These are to recheck control and auxiliary systems, pantograph up; energising the loco for the first time since 2000; and checking parts, including the battery chargers, oil pumps, blower fans, field converters. Movements will be made around the yard, up to the depot’s 5mph speed limit. Testing will be undertaken by members of the AC Locomotive Group’s (ACLG) engineering team in co-operation with West Midlands Trains, operators of Soho depot. Subject to…

Call: 01507 529589 email: gboyd-hope@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. ENGINEERING work at London King’s Cross has forced UK Railtours to reroute its ‘Merchant of Norfolk’ railtour on April 24, which will take Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35028 Clan Line from London to deepest East Anglia. The tour was originally expected to take the Southern Region Pacific from King’s Cross to Norwich. However, owing to extensive renovation works at King’s Cross, No. 35028 will now start from London Victoria and pick up passengers at Highbury & Islington and then Broxbourne. This route through suburban London will be rare track for the Pacific, which will also be making its first visit to Norwich that day. The train is…

WE ARE almost at the end of the most awful year I can remember. Everyone’s life has been disrupted by this terrible pandemic, far more than we could have imagined, and our faith for getting back to normal lies with the scientists and vaccines. Thank you for sticking with The RM during some very difficult and challenging times, and thanks to my team who really have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure The RM was published every month. Next year has to be better, so stay with us as there are some exciting things on the horizon. In the meantime, have a safe and peaceful Christmas and here’s to a Happy New Year.…

THE future of the Eurostar operation along with the HS1 rail link it uses is at risk unless there is Government intervention, the companies two CEOs have warned. Writing jointly in the Independent, Dyan Crowther, CEO of Highspeed 1 and Jacques Damas, CEO of Eurostar, said the two companies have used their own resources to remain afloat, neither being eligible for the level of Government support schemes provided for domestic rail or airlines. However, in a stark warning, they say unless there is urgent Government intervention, there is a great risk the iconic service will be left to fail, threatening jobs, connectivity, and reversing the progress to reduce travel emissions. A massive 95% downturn in the numbers of passengers using Eurostar services to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels as a result…

MICK Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), has announced his retirement. He has blamed a “campaign of harassment” against him by factional groups within the union. Mr Cash, general secretary since 2014, said the harassment had led to his authority being “systematically destroyed”. He has been on extended sick leave with stress. Mr Cash says it had been an “absolute honour” to be elected twice as RMT general secretary. He has also opened up publicly on the effect the situation has had on his mental health, and received much praise for doing so.…

THE line between Stonehaven and Arbroath was reopened by Network Rail as planned on November 3 following the derailment of an HST on August 12, which saw two ScotRail crew and a passenger killed. A fund set up by Aslef and the RMT union to raise money for the families of those who died – driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62 – has raised more than £142,000, and will be split equally between the families of the three men. Special badges carrying the BR emblem and the fatal train reporting number 1T08 were snapped up by rail staff and have added £25,000 to the fund. Like us facebook.com/TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine…

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) will receive around £1.7billion to cover bus and Tube services for the period of October 18-March 31, 2021. This follows negotiations between TfL and the Department for Transport for a further funding and financing support package. The 11th -hour funding deal, concluded on October 31, is in addition to a funding settlement of £1.6bn earlier in the year. It will help TfL address its on-going shortfalls in revenue following the massive downturn in passenger numbers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. TfL is predicting a shortfall of about £2bn for the second half of 2020/21. The organisation was facing the prospect of implementing an RPI+1% fare rise, a scrapping of free travel for under-18s, and Freedom Passes for people aged 60 and over, as well…

THE East West Railway Company (EWRC) has entered a second engagement phase with potential rolling stock suppliers for the opening of the Oxford to Cambridge route. EWRC is aiming to lease a fleet of 12 or 14 three-car self-powered multiple-units fitted with ETCS Level 2, and also running as a driver-controlled operation. The lease has an estimated value of £44million, and would be run for four years, with an optional two-year extension. It also includes maintenance. The trains would be used on services between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Aylesbury. It is expected EWRC would begin inviting formal tenders in March 2021, with a view to placing a contract to build by the November.…

PAXMAN diesel engines have been assigned to Britain’s locomotive building industrial heritage. The company’s Colchester plant closed in November after 155 years in the town, with the loss of around 80 jobs. As Paxman Diesels, its most well-known locomotive diesel engine has been the ‘Valenta’, which has powered the Class 43 HSTs for decades, and was exported to Australia for use in the XPT. The Hythe Hill factory has been developing and making engines on the site since 1865, when the company was launched as agricultural engineers. Worldwide Paxman has earned worldwide fame for its production of diesel loco engines, generators, and the VP185 engines used in Royal Navy submarines, which have been exported around the globe. German company MAN Energy Solutions bought Paxman in 2010, but in July this…

A DAMP September morning heralded the start of autumn as the driver of a smart grey and two-tone blue Class 68 locomotive gradually applied power to get his five-coach train of Spanish-built M5 air-conditioned coaches underway. In the opposite direction a matching five-car Hitachi bi-mode working on diesel power slid surreptitiously into the Up platform road. This scene was surprisingly set at the western end of the viaduct at Huddersfield station in West Yorkshire. Had it been written any time in the last century it would have been treated as fiction, perhaps even science-fiction. The give-away that it was happening somewhere in England was probably the fact the busy location was being served by two express diesel trains and there was no sign, even on paper, of imminent electrification. An…

IN REFERENCE to your editorial (RM Nov), my wife and I went to Shrewsbury station on August 5 to see No. 70000. Appreciating this was during the Covid restrictions, we approached the platform via the outside lift onto platform 3; one other person was waiting, but not close to us. Just before the train’s arrival, a female member of TfW staff approached, and asked what we were doing. After explaining, she said we could not wait on the platform and were moved from an area, where there were three of us, to an area where there was a travelling public and observers of No. 70000, contradicting the idea of distancing! I have never previously experienced any such problem at Shrewsbury station, and even BTP has been friendly, helpful and cooperative…

HERITAGE Railways across England were closed again at the time this issue of The RM went to press as the nation faced its second coronavirus lockdown. However, for a number of railways it has been a time of great tension, with many hoping the restrictions would be lifted as planned on December 2, and the festive season trains will be able to go ahead. The annual pre-Christmas operations are some of the most financially lucrative for railways across the UK, be they traditional ‘Santa Specials’, ‘Polar Expresses’ or the more recent ‘Train of Lights’. The season usually begins at the end of November and runs right through to Christmas Eve in many cases. Consequently, hopes have been pinned on the events going ahead in order to help recoup some of…

THE Great Western Society has unveiled an ambitious scheme of overhaul projects, infrastructure work and general site improvements for Didcot Railway Centre, which it hopes to drive forward as part of the society’s 60th anniversary next year. The programme was outlined in the latest issue of the GWS’ journal, the Great Western Echo, by Didcot spokesman, Graham Hukins. He says that while the 60th anniversary will be a time to celebrate the huge achievements of the past six decades, it should also help lay the foundations for the next 60 years. “It is important that during our diamond anniversary, we don’t just look back. The occasion should also be seen as a springboard from which we can shape the future and take further steps to ensure the GWS and Didcot…

‘K1’ fails exam at Carnforth A PLANNED light engine move by Peppercorn ‘K1’ Mogul No. 62005 from Carnforth to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in mid-November was cancelled the day before the move after the loco failed a fitness-to-run exam. The NELPG-owned 2-6-0 was supposed to return to Grosmont on November 16, but the discovery of a fracture on the right-side of the firebox throat plate during an inspection meant the loco had to remain at Carnforth while repairs were carried out. No. 62005 has spent much of the summer and early autumn in Fort William working West Coast Railways’ ‘Jacobite’ services to Mallaig. No new cylinder block required for ‘J21’ NORTH Eastern Railway ‘J21’ 0-6-0 No. 65033 will not require a new cylinder block as feared, after NDT testing…

THE frames of the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust’s LNER ‘B17’ 4-6-0 No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham were delivered to their new home at CTL Seal in Sheffield on October 20. The partially erected steelwork was collected from the Llangollen Railway during the previous day, and has been placed in the building that will be its new home for the next phase of the build. The frames are seen here being unloaded following their arrival.…

THE Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6435 will spend the winter on hire to the Spa Valley Railway. The auto-tank’s wheelsets have recently been re-tyred at the South Devon Railway, and returned to Bodmin in early November. The loco was expected to be re-wheeled at the time of writing and, following successful testing, will move to Tunbridge Wells at the beginning of December. If all goes to plan, No. 6435 will haul some of the Spa Valley’s ‘Santa Specials’ and general passenger services during December, alternating with resident Bulleid ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34053 Sir Keith Park and RSH ‘56’ class 0-6-0ST No. 62 Ugly. Easter The Pannier will then remain in Kent until the end of March 2021, when it will return to Cornwall in time for…

THE boiler belonging to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0T Cathryn (1884/1955) successfully passed its hydraulic test at Israel Newton & Son in Cromford on November 4. The workshop was hoping to complete the first of two steam tests during the second week on November before returning the boiler to Wirksworth. The steam test will mark the first time the boiler has been steamed since Cathryn was withdrawn from service at St John’s Colliery in Normanton in July 1975.…

EXMOOR Associates (EA) completed the purchase of Bratton Fleming station on November 3, securing it for future use by a revived Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&BR). The site will be leased as a private home to provide site security and generate income. Friends of Bratton made the purchase possible and will be invited to open days at the station when the Covid-19 threat has subsided. Elsewhere on the closed L&BR trackbed, a bogie flat wagon was moved to Snapper Halt at the end of October, the infrastructure having been restored there, including laying a short length of track in 2019. L&BR closed on September 29, 1935, but carriage No. 6991 remained on a short length of track at the site, in use as a summer house until the mid-1960s. A…

■ THE major overhaul of 15in-gauge 0-4-2 tender loco Bonnie Dundee at John Fowler Engineering was in its final stages during November. The loco was run on compressed air in October with the cab and tender completed. It is owned by Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and being returned to steam for service at Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. A steam test was likely by the time this edition of The RM is published, with only details to be completed before the loco returned to Cleethorpes. ■ STEEPLE Grange Light Railway (SGLR) is converting its man-rider No. 103 into a compartment carriage suitable for carrying socially distanced passengers next spring. Work includes fitting wooden panels under each of the backrests and acrylic screens from the top of the back rests to the…

TRACK-LAYING has started on the East Anglia Transport Museum’s (EATM) tramway extension at Lowestoft. When complete the extension will serve an all-new bus depot and tram shed. It is being laid at the western end of the current museum site, where the large bus depot will be erected together with a smaller trolleybus shed and a two-road tram shed. A junction will be installed at the point where the current tramway swings south through the woods, taking the new line westwards toward the new tram shed and beyond its outer wall to a triangular junction, with spurs running both north and south to two new termini. All work on the extension to the tramway stopped during the first lockdown, but work has been carried out following the lifting of restrictions.…

Call: 01507 529589 email: classic.traction@btopenworld.com Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. Caledonian takes on HNRC Class 20s THREE long-stored Class 20s have been sold by HNRC, two of which are destined for eventual use on the Caledonian Railway at Brechin. No. 20088 moved north on October 6, followed by Nos. 20081 and 20016. 4-SUB’s new home at Margate centre THE sole-surviving Southern EMU 4-SUB No. 4732 has been offered a permanent residency in the One:One Collection at Margate. It moved to Locomotive Storage’s site in 2018 on a temporary basis when the Coventry Electric Museum closed. The terms include restoration to static display condition. Graffiti attack on East Kent ‘Pacer’ VANDALS caused serious graffiti damage to one of…

PATHFINDER Tours’ ‘Cambridge & Norfolk Explorer’ next summer will see Class 37s return to the region, and on Mk1 stock, too. The Type 3s are not a regular sight on East Anglian passenger services anymore since Greater Anglia ceased using them last year. The tour is booked to run on August 14, having been rescheduled from May 1 owing to engineering works, and will be hauled throughout by a pair of Direct Rail Services ‘37s’. An early 05.40 departure from Eastleigh will be followed by pick-ups at Romsey, Salisbury, Warminster, Westbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot Parkway. With everyone aboard, the train will run through the Thames Valley, then across London and through Hertfordshire towards the first stop of the day at Cambridge, arriving at around 11.20. A number of…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM. PAKISTAN’S first metro system in Lahore began on October 25 when the 27.1km long ‘Orange Line’ opened. Serving the city’s main station, the east-west line runs mainly on concrete viaducts, but has two tunnel sections totalling 1.72km. The line has been built by Pakistani companies to Chinese metro standards, with funds from Chinese banks. A fleet of 27 five-car Type B 750V DC third- rail EMUs has been supplied by Chinese company CRRC. Despite the pandemic, many new and extended metro lines have opened this year. In China alone, new lines or extensions opened in Chengdu, Shenzhen and Wuxi in October. Europe In Europe new lines have…